Thirteenth Floor
by Amy the Yu
Summary: A fic based on the events of September 11. NOT A DEATHFIC! [Shounen ai]
1. Thirteenth Floor (Prologue)

By: Amy the Yu  
  
On: November 3, 2001  
  
Thirteenth Floor  
  
(Prologue)  
  
This story is dedicated to all those who died in the World Trade Center tragedy.  
  
It takes place in A.C. 201 (or year 2257 on our future calendar).  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing (even though I wish I did). Gundam Wing owns me and the Sotsu Agency and Sunrise own everything the least bit Gundam Wing.  
  
Warning: Shounen ai 1x2x1 and angst. NOT A DEATHFIC!  
  
Without further ado, here's the fic:  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
The year was A.C. 201, all the former Gundam Pilots have ended their lives as soldiers and have begun new lives as regular members of society. After trying their hands at several other professions with no success, former pilot 01, Heero Yuy and former pilot 02, Duo Maxwell joined Chang Wufei in the Preventers to help maintain the peace that they sacrificed their childhoods to gain.  
  
The Preventers headquarters was based in New York, not two blocks from where the World Trade Center Tragedy occurred many years ago, this exact day.  
  
It was September 11, A.C. 201, exactly 256 years after the terrorist attack that changed the world. Since the construction of the Preventers headquarters, the New York skyline seemed almost to return to what it was, except, instead of two lean towers dominating the sky, there was one massive giant of a building standing tall above all else.  
  
After finishing a two month long mission to L-1, Heero and Duo were both rushing to finish the extensive documentation and paper work that General Une insisted they complete after each mission. This was a low energy job and didn't take much brainpower, so they were rather relaxed and laid back as they took their time doing their work.  
  
It had been less than an hour after they arrived at work and Duo's mind was already beginning to wander. He drifted over to Heero's desk and leaned over his handsome lover. "Heero", he cooed, "Would you like to go get some coffee with me?"  
  
Without thinking, Heero replied, "It's only been 55 minutes since we started work, do your work and we'll take a break at 11." This was a regular routine by now as Duo went to Heero every morning at work at the exact same time to suggest that he and Heero take a coffee break.  
  
Pouting, Duo went back to his sad excuse for a cubicle and tried to lessen the large stack of paper work sitting on his desk collecting dust. After filling out the first few forms, all the papers started to look the same and the morning dragged on.  
  
After another agonizing 30 minutes, Duo decided to try to talk Heero into taking a break again. As he stood up to go bother Heero, the soft hum of a passing cross continent shuttle could be heard. It was a soothing sound that reminded Duo of the Gundam that was his lifeline not long ago. He looked at his watch and muttered to no one in particular, "Flight Q33NY on time as usual." Then he continued on his way to Heero's desk, but something didn't feel right.  
  
Less than 10 meters from his destination, Duo realized what that something was. Instead of the shuttle sounds fading off as it passed the building, the hum of the engines became a loud buzz and then an almost deafening roar. Then all hell broke loose when the shuttle came flying straight for the building.  
  
A large fireball formed and completely engulfed floors 88 through 92. Most of the windows on the other floors imploded as the shuttle hit.  
  
Realizing that the shuttle was going to hit before everyone else, Duo ran the last few meters separating him and Heero and knocked Heero to the ground, using his own body to shield Heero's.  
  
The whole building shook and a heat wave emanating from the crash site passed over the building. Then the world seemed to disappear in a bright flash of light. Life as we know it had ended and chaos reined supreme.  
  
Ever so slowly, Duo climbed back onto his feet and offered Heero a hand to stand up. Heero took his place beside Duo as they surveyed the disordered mess of people surrounding them. Everyone was in such a panicked rush to leave that they were trampling each other as they ran for the stairs.  
  
Heero turned to look out the window, but as he turned, he saw a figure on the floor, not two meters from the imploded windows, covered in glass. He rushed over to see that it was Sally Po. There were several shards of glass embedded in her right arm and shoulder, but thanks to the thick Preventers uniform that she donned, the rest of her body was unharmed.  
  
Running back to his desk, Heero pulled out his travel sized first-aid kit and returned to attend to Sally's injuries. Using a pair of tweezers, he carefully extracted each small shard of glass from her arm and wrapped it up in some gauze to stop the bleeding. He then carefully handed her over to a passing Preventers agent to aid her in the evacuation.  
  
Returning to Duo, they looked for anyone else that may have been in need of some help. Seeing no one else, they headed towards the stairs much like everyone else had, but in a much more orderly fashion.  
  
Instead of going down the stairwell, Duo turned to face the steady stream of people rushing to leave the building and tried to climb to the upper most floors.  
  
Realizing where Duo was headed, Heero grabbed him by his elbow and pulled him back. "Where are you going?" Heero shouted to Duo above the mad, panicked screams coming from the people surrounding them, "The building may collapse any second."  
  
Even though Duo knew that this may very well be true, he faced Heero grimly and explained, "There might be more people hurt on the higher floors, Heero. I can't just leave them to die. I have to at least try to help them." With that, Duo broke free of Heero's grip and rushed up the stairs to the awaiting inferno.  
  
TBC...  
  
  
  
This fic was written during the month of November, 2001. It was written according to my interpretation of what happened to the survivors during and after the incident had they been gundam pilots.  
  
In order to avoid any factual errors due to my limited knowledge of the attack, this fic is written as a parallel to the actual event.  
  
It is set 256 years in the future, in A.C. 201.  
  
This story is dedicated to all the people who died in the World Trade Center Tradgety. 


	2. Thirteenth Floor (Chapter 1)

By: Amy Yu  
  
On: November 4, 2001  
  
Thirteenth Floor  
  
(Part 1)  
  
Disclaimer: See prologue of Thirteenth Floor.  
  
Warning: Shounen ai 1x2x1 and angst. Don't be fooled by the end of this part, I swear that this will not be a death fic.  
  
Here's Part 1 of Thirteenth Floor:  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Unable to just stand by and watch as Duo raced towards what was almost certain death, Heero took off after his doomed lover.  
  
Upon reaching the 80th floor, after what seemed like an incredibly long climb, Heero once again stopped Duo in his tracks and tried to talk some sense back into him.  
  
"Heero, please let me go." Duo begged, "I have to help. I just have to." Knowing that it would take a huge amount of reasoning for Heero to cave in, even just a little bit. There was almost no chance in hell that Heero would let him go any further than where they stood at the time.  
  
"Duo," Heero stated, looking away from Duo all of a sudden in an effort to hide the sorrow that showed clearly in his eyes, "The war is finally over. Now that we can stop risking our lives completing dangerous missions or fighting Mobile Dolls, I don't want to loose you in some stupid shuttle accident. For once, stop thinking that you're the invincible Shinigami. Too many lives were already lost in the last few years, I don't want you to become one of them."  
  
Duo stopped struggling to free himself from Heero's grasp and looked at him carefully. Heero has never been sad before, or at least he has never shown it before. This was something new to both of them. However, Duo just couldn't leave as Heero was suggesting. "I agree with you. Too many lives were already lost. That's why I have to help. I can't sit idly by as more lives are lost today." Duo knew that he was breaking Heero's heart with his words, but it couldn't be helped. He would make it all up to Heero later, if he survived. "When I was a kid living on the streets of L-2, no one would help me. No one even cared when my best friend, Solo, was dying in my arms. I won't be like those people. I will make a difference and I will help, no matter how hard you try to stop me, so please just let me go."  
  
Heero's grasp on Duo's arm loosened slowly and he let go; finally realizing that Duo was determined to go on, with or without his approval. With the slightest hesitation, Duo continued climbing up the stairs only to have Heero's voice stop him. "So, there's no way for me to change your mind?" Heero pleaded.  
  
"I have to he-", Duo replied only to be interrupted.  
  
"Then I'm coming with you. When I told you that I wanted to be by your side forever, I meant it." Heero said as he followed Duo up the stairs, "If you're going to hell, then I'm going with you. I will never leave you alone, even if you want me to."  
  
Together, they raced up the remaining few floors, stopping at each one, to check for any remaining people. Floors 80 through 85 were completely deserted, but on floor 86, they came across a horrendous sight. There were bodies covering the floor. Some laid in pools of blood with large pieces of glass embedded in them, others looked like there may be some life left.  
  
Quickly checking each body, they found them all to be VSA (Vital Signs Absent). Most had lost such a large amount of blood that performing CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation) would be useless.  
  
There was nothing that they could have done, so Heero and Duo continued to the next floor. There was only one office on floor 87; it was General Une's.  
  
Not knowing whether they should expect a corpse or an empty room, they entered the office, keeping their heads low to avoid the accumulated smoke that covered almost the entire floor. There was body inside, right next to the emergency exit. Sure enough, it was General Une. There were no significant injuries, but it also looked like there were no signs of life either. It wasn't until Duo crawled right up beside her that he detected her faint breathing. Assuming that she was just overcome by the smoke, Heero and Duo lifted her up and finally started to descend to the ground floor.  
  
After what seemed like an hour-long climb down, on floor 23 they encountered one of the first firefighters on the scene. Handing the still unconscious Une over to the firefighter, they continued down the stairs.  
  
When they were less than 14 floors from the ground, the building started to shake and bits and pieces of the ceiling began to fall. Finding a doorway, Heero and Duo held on to each other as the building started to crumble and collapse around them.  
  
1 TBC... 


	3. Thirteenth Floor (Chapter 2)

By: Amy Yu  
  
On: November 6, 2001  
  
Thirteenth Floor  
  
(Part 2)  
  
Disclaimer: See prologue of Thirteenth Floor.  
  
Warning: Shounen ai 1x2x1, angst, but NOT a death fic.  
  
Here is Part 2 of Thirteenth Floor:  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
The entire building began to shake as powdered concrete and paint chips rained down over Heero and Duo, who were huddled together trying to shield their faces from the falling debris.  
  
Rumbling and crashes could be heard coming from the floors above as each level collapsed on the one below creating a domino effect. The rumbling grew louder and Duo knew that they may be dead in just a few more seconds and it would be all his fault. Due to his insistent wanting to help, he led both himself and Heero to their deaths.  
  
Heero shifted over a bit and wrapped his arms around Duo and whispered, "Hold on Duo, we survived the damn war and we'll survive this."  
  
It was then that they felt the walls crumble as everything came crashing down on them. The lights disappeared and they could feel themselves falling and falling and falling.  
  
The next thing they knew, the ground rushed up underneath them, causing excruciating pain to fill their bodies.  
  
Barely more than broken dolls, Heero and Duo could do nothing other than to lie there and wait for the pain to gradually fade away.  
  
Not knowing the fate of his love, Heero was on the verge of unconsciousness. He had fallen hard and knew that he must have several severe injuries and lost an enormous amount of blood. The large slabs of concrete surrounded him created what seemed to be a small cavity in the heap of scraps that was once a magnificent building.  
  
Having no light to guide him, Heero felt around blindly trying to find Duo. Though he knew that most probably the heavy materials that fell on top of them when the building collapsed would have crushed Duo, Heero had to find him, even if it was nothing more than a lifeless corpse that he found.  
  
After what felt like hours of groping aimlessly, Heero finally found a body. Ignoring the injuries that threatened his life, he felt for any signs of life, but when he reached over to check the carotid pulse, there was nothing there to check. Where there used to be a neck, there was a large gash, large enough that the head was probably only attached to the body by the fractured remains of the spinal column.  
  
Knowing that there was no way for anyone to survive an injury that severe, Heero brought the body up to his own and cradled it lovingly in his arms as he let Duo's death register in his mind. Unable to hide his emotions any longer, Heero broke down in quiet sobs as he began to mourn his lost love. There should have been many more years of life ahead of them, to share experiences and to share their love, but now, Duo would never open his eyes to the world again and though he was still alive, Heero felt as though his soul had died along with his partner. They would be separated, one in the living world and one lost to death.  
  
How ironic that the self proclaimed Shinigami, the God of Death, would loose his life at such a young age. Only 21 at the time of his death, Duo was still getting used to his new life away from the battlefield that he grew up in. Now he will never be able to fully enjoy the life that he was given.  
  
Not having cried since before the time that he could walk, Heero's sobs soon turned into dry sniffs. He would never recover from the loss of his only love. Realizing this, Heero began to give in to the battle to stay awake and started to slip into unconsciousness, which he hoped would take away the pain in his chest. Not the pain that was caused by his broken ribs and fractured sternum, but the pain that came with the knowledge that he would never have his Duo back.  
  
As he fell limp, Heero thought he felt the body move, but that should be impossible. He must have been hallucinating from the massive loss of blood that he suffered. Duo was gone. Dead. There was no way that a corpse could come back to life, no matter how much he wants it to.  
  
Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps he imagined the gash in the neck. Maybe Duo was still alive, but before he had the chance to make sure, a deep sleep overcame him and he closed his eyes to join the void that surrounded his heart.  
  
Heero laid his head down on top of the body and let the emptiness take him away to a place where emotions such as heartache didn't exist, so he could rest peacefully.  
  
Then, there was silence.  
  
TBC... 


	4. Thirteenth Floor (Chapter 3)

By: Amy Yu  
  
On: November 10, 2001  
  
Thirteenth Floor  
  
(Part 3)  
  
Disclaimer: See prologue of Thirteenth Floor.  
  
Warning: Shounen ai 1x2x1, angst, but not a death fic.  
  
Here's Part 3 of Thirteenth Floor:  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Blocked off from the outside world, Heero finally opened his eyes and tried to see through the pitch-black cavern within the collapsed building. All of that day's events came rushing back to him and he looked down at the body that he still held in his arms.  
  
Unable to see in the absolute darkness, Heero only felt when the body moved once again.  
  
Its movement was so slight, Heero almost thought that he imagined it again, until he heard a small whimper. Then he felt the body shift in his arms, except this time, Heero knew that he wasn't imagining it. Duo was alive. With this thought, Heero was filled with happiness that he didn't think that he would ever feel again.  
  
"Heero?" Duo's voice filled the space even though it was barely a whisper, "Is that really you? I thought that I'd never see you again. Do you know how I felt when I thought I would lose you for sure? I was so scared. I wanted to live with you forever. That was my reason for living through the damn wars."  
  
Duo slowly sat up and turned a little to return Heero's embrace. They stayed like that for a moment just to enjoy each other's company.  
  
"I..." Heero was barely able to force the words out of his mouth, "I thought you were dead. For a moment, I thought you were dead. I wanted to give up and just die right here." There were so many new emotions that had started to surface since he found Duo lying on the ground after the building collapsed. He had never felt the pain of heartache before. Nor has he ever loved anyone so strongly. Duo's "death" showed him so many new forms of pain that he had not even knew existed. Then Duo's return to life gave him happiness that he never thought possible.  
  
Ending the momentary silence that filled the small concrete grotto, Duo brought a hand up to Heero's chest and asked quietly, "You shouldn't be sitting up like this. Lie down, you're making your injuries worse by pushing you physical limits like this. The wars' over, you don't have to just put up with the pain anymore. Relax and let me worry about you, we have the freedom to do that now and I want to take care of you for once."  
  
Duo moved away a bit and let Heero lie his head down in his lap.  
  
To Heero, it was like a piece of heaven. His world was whole again and there was no way that he's ever going to let Duo go again.  
  
"How badly are you hurt?" Duo gently whispered to the lovely bundle in his lap.  
  
Never one for small talk, Heero got straight to the point, "Not that bad. My chest was injured the most, but it's nothing that I can't deal with. How about you?"  
  
Duo felt his neck and replied, "I'm probably much better off than you are. I have a pretty bad cut on my throat. It makes talking a bit difficult, but aside from that, all I have are some scraps and cuts."  
  
"I'm so glad that you're alright. Looks like I underestimated the great Shinigami once again, hmm?" Heero spoke with every ounce of affection he could manage.  
  
"I'll never leave you. You know that. No matter what happens to me physically, you know that my spirit will always be with you. I'm like a ketchup stain on a white shirt, I'll be there until you die and then some." Duo attempted to joke despite the injury on his throat. He didn't care about himself anymore, he just wanted to make Heero laugh again.  
  
Heero nestled himself in Duo's lap and started to drift off. He felt almost as if he was in a dream, everything turned out the way he wanted it to. He found his love and they were together. This alone, was enough for him to ease into a quiet sleep. The world faded once again, but this time, Heero felt whole again.  
  
TBC... 


	5. Thirteenth Floor (Chapter 4)

Amy the Yu  
  
November 14, 2001  
  
Thirteenth Floor  
  
(Part 4)  
  
Disclaimer: See prologue of Thirteenth Floor.  
  
Warning: Shounen ai 1x2x1, not a death fic.  
  
Here's Part 4 of Thirteenth Floor:  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Scratch scratch...scratch scratch...  
  
Heero was awaken by the sound of rescue workers above, but by the long echoes, he knew that they still had a long way down through the rubble before they could get to him.  
  
A few small pieces of concrete fell from the rescue effort above and chattered on the ground besides Heero. He felt Duo's body still in his embrace and tried to peer down at him.  
  
'He was always so peaceful when he slept. No mask to hide behind, the real Duo Maxwell. Too bad that it's too dark to see.' Heero thought happily as he swept some stray hairs away from Duo's forehead.  
  
Knowing that it wasn't a good idea to sleep to long after having lost so much blood and suffering from a concussion from the fall, Heero tried to gently shake Duo awake, but he got no response.  
  
Thinking that Duo was just really tired, he tried again, shaking harder. Once again, he got no response.  
  
Panic started to fill his body as he tried again and again to get Duo to open his eyes. However, after several minutes, Heero came to the realization that Duo was not going to wake up.  
  
'Maybe he's just unconscious from all the blood loss. Yes, that must be it. There's no way that a Gundam pilot would die so easily.' He grabbed a wrist and felt for the radio pulse, but no matter how hard he pressed, he could not find it. It was then that if dawned on Heero that it was a dream. All the happiness that had filled him, when he thought Duo was going to live, was fake. It was a dream. Duo was not coming back to life, ever.  
  
Once again, Heero fell down a spiral of despair. The love of his life, his only love, was gone.  
  
1  
  
Clang clang...clang clang...  
  
2  
  
This time, the sounds were much closer. The rescuers were not too far away now. Soon, Heero would be pulled out of the wreckage and he would have to go back out into the real world, except this time, he would not have Duo by his side to show him the way.  
  
Knowing that due to his concussion, if he fell asleep, he might not wake up again, Heero closed his eyes and hoped that his spirit would be reunited with Duo's when his body slowly slipped into unconsciousness.  
  
A rather large piece of concrete fell on him and he awoke with a jagged pain in his chest. The falling debris had agitated his broken and battered ribs causing him such intense pain that he started to black out, but as the pain subsided, Heero could see that he was no longer enclosed in a dark cavern. Light filtered through the small cracks that had formed above him and after another second or two, the rescuers were able to completely open up the little pocket within the collapsed building.  
  
After spending over a day in the small dark grotto, Heero was nearly blinded by the bright sunlight. It was warm and soothing, but without his love by his side, he felt empty inside.  
  
Without warning, one of the rescuers walked up to him and pulled him up to his feet. Slinging an arm over his shoulder, he started to lead Heero away to the awaiting ambulances where he could be treated for his injuries, but Heero's main concern was not himself.  
  
"Wait! Duo! You have to help him. He's hurt badly. Please help him." Heero begged, but to his disappointment, the only answer he got was, "Sorry son, but there's no chance that your friend will live."  
  
"But you have to try!" Heero continued in hopes that they would turn back for Duo.  
  
"There are more people trapped in this heap. We have to find them first, then we will come back for your friend, okay?" the man helping Heero replied. "He's not going anywhere. We'll come back for him."  
  
Knowing that there was no chance in hell that he could change their minds, Heero gave in to the inevitable and continue to stumble over the debris beneath his feet.  
  
One foot in front of the other. Again. Now, again. Heero slowly made his way away from the building with some help and was laid down on a gurney. The paramedics loaded him into the ambulance.  
  
While they drove to the nearest hospital, a blood transfusion was set up to replace some of the blood that he had lost.  
  
As Heero lay there watching the hypnotic dripping of the blood through the IV that was connected to his arm, the reality of the situation came back to him.  
  
Duo was dead and there wasn't any chance that that will change. The world will keep on spinning, other people will carry on with their lives and even though Heero's body will keep on living, his spirit and soul were dying. Soon, he would return to the empty shell of a man that he was many years ago, except there was no longer a place in the world for the emotionless Perfect Soldier.  
  
TBC... 


	6. Thirteenth Floor (Chapter 5)

By: Amy the Yu  
  
On: November 23, 2001  
  
Thirteenth Floor  
  
(Part 5)  
  
Disclaimer: See prologue of Thirteenth Floor.  
  
Warning: Shounen ai 1x2x1, angst, but not a death fic.  
  
Here's Part 5 of Thirteenth Floor:  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Days went by and Heero's unnaturally fast ability to heal proved itself once again. However, even after the physical damages to his body were completely healed, the emotional ones were still there. While he was recovering in the hospital, Heero had slowly distanced himself from everything around him. Completely unresponsive to all the doctors and nurses, he had even refused to eat. In the end, seeing no way around it, the doctors hooked him up to an I.V. and gave his body the nourishment that it needed by injecting it straight into his bloodstream.  
  
After hearing of the tragedy, Wufei immediately contacted the other pilots to notify them. Sadly, it seemed that Heero and Duo were not the only ones affected by the shuttle collision. It appeared that Quatre was on his way to a business conference in Los Angeles. He switched his flight to a faster shuttle in New York to get to the conference sooner, the same shuttle that had crashed into the Preventers headquarters.  
  
Even after all these years, it seemed that the former Gundam pilots' lives were inevitably tied together. No matter how differently or how far apart they lived, their lives would eventually cross paths, except this time, they lost the battle. Even war heroes die and the pilots were no different.  
  
Unable to comfort Trowa in his mourning, Wufei decided to return to New York by himself and see if there was another way that he could help his former comrades. What he found was something that made his blood run cold. So many years of recovery and so many nights of sleep that Duo gave up to aid Heero in his adjusting to the real world, all wasted. For what Wufei saw was an empty shell of a man. Unable to deal with his emotions, Heero had simply shut himself off.  
  
Somehow, Wufei was able to convince the doctors that Heero was his cousin and Heero was discharged into Wufei's care. Thinking that Heero was behaving in this manner because he was uncertain of Duo's fate, Wufei took him to the temporary location of the victims' location service. Outside the small housing for the service was a large line that stretched across several blocks. Most of the people waiting were family members of the victims. Completely clueless about the whereabouts and well being of their loved ones, they were willing to wait for days just to find some sort of closure, even if it was in the form of a dead body.  
  
Leaving Heero alone for only a moment to fill out some of the necessary paperwork, Wufei had not noticed when Heero quietly wandered away into the crowd. Finding Heero gone upon his return, Wufei searched frantically for his friend, but found not a clue. Heero had disappeared.  
  
Knowing fully well that Wufei was only trying to help, Heero had left because seeing hope on all those people's faces had cracked through his emotional barrier. However, the emotions that came through were all the wrong ones. Unlike the happiness and joy that he had felt when Duo first broken through his barrier, all Heero felt was pain and grief.  
  
The hundreds of anxious people still had hope. There was still a chance that their loved ones were alive somewhere and they can be reunited, but Heero knew that his love was no coming back. This tore his fragile heart into hundreds of painful shards.  
  
Oblivious to where he was going, Heero soon found himself back at the site where the Preventers building had collapsed. There were so many rescue workers digging at the debris, fighting against time for what few precious lives could still be saved. Soon the rescuing of innocent lives would be changed to the retrieval of corpses as time ran out and the chance for survival grew slimmer and slimmer.  
  
Awe struck by the mound of rubble before him, Heero realized just what a miracle it was for him to have lived through everything. Even if Duo was still alive, there was almost no chance that he could have been found amongst all the wreckage.  
  
'Duo,' Heero thought to himself, 'I'm coming back for you.'  
  
Having been only semi-conscious when he was pulled out of his cavern within the concrete, Heero did not fully remember the place where he was buried. Hoping that his instincts would not fail him, Heero started to retrace his steps and find Duo's body.  
  
As Heero was about to climb back into the rubble, a figure dressed in a Preventers uniform passed through his peripheral vision causing him to turn and take a closer look. From such a far distance away, not much detail could be seen, but as he approached the body from behind, a long twisted lock of hair trailing down its back was clearly visible.  
  
'It looks so much like Duo's braid.' Heero thought. Slowly, he came up behind the body not knowing if it was his love or not. Grabbing the shoulders, Heero flipped it over.  
  
Even though the body was not hurt much, the face was covered in so many scraps and scratches that no distinctive features could be seen. Still, Heero could not turn away because looking blankly back at him were two cobalt blue eyes. Both were empty, cold and dead.  
  
There were not many other people in the world with Duo's eyes and Heero knew this. Even though there was no solid evidence that this body was indeed Duo's, Heero knew better.  
  
Reaching for the gun that was neatly tucked in the corpse's belt, Heero saw that there was still one bullet left. 'Together forever. I'll follow you where ever you go, Duo.' Heero thought, hoping to join Duo's spirit wherever it was, whether it be in heaven or in hell. Holding the gun up to his temple, Heero pulled the trigger before he had a chance to respond to the voice that called to him from behind.  
  
TBC... 


	7. Thirteenth Floor (Chapter 6)

By: Amy the Yu  
  
On: November 26, 2001  
  
Thirteenth Floor  
  
(Part 6)  
  
Disclaimer: See prologue of Thirteenth Floor.  
  
Warning: Shounen ai 1x2x1, angst, but not a death fic.  
  
Here's Part 6 of Thirteenth Floor:  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"No, Heero don't!"  
  
The desperate plead could have been heard from blocks away, but it went unnoticed in the mind of Heero Yuy.  
  
Unlocking the safety on the borrowed gun, Heero brought it up to his head and prepared to take his own life. To him, death was not as bad as most people made it out to be. Nothing to be frightened of. Since the last war ended, Duo had taught him to love and cherish his life, to cherish each day that was given to him. Days that many people who did not survive the war would never see.  
  
The soldier's fearless nature and willingness to die had slowly changed to something more human as Heero fell more and more in love with Duo, but when Duo had died, the human side Heero died with him.  
  
Placing his finger on the trigger, Heero pulled it back, fully ready to die. He didn't respond at all to the loyal friend that was stumbling over the rubble as fast as he could in a last frantic attempt to save his life.  
  
Unknowing and uncaring to the pain that his death would bring to his friends, Heero pushed aside all rational thoughts and pulled the trigger.  
  
BANG!!!  
  
The gun rang out. Everyone turned at the sound to see a shell of a man standing atop a mound of debris as he, for the last time, took away the pain that filled him and ended his misery. Though no one knew, Heero had died many days ago. The gun was aimed at nothing more than an android. A being without a soul.  
  
To Heero, the end of his life would not bring sorrow or sadness, it would only bring him peace and relief. There was no proof of an afterlife, but he knew that after this, he would somehow be reunited with his love. It wasn't just what he hoped, he knew it. With this thought, Heero's unconscious body fell to the ground.  
  
After searching what seemed like half of the city, Wufei finally spotted Heero's body lying motionless at the top of a large heap of broken concrete slabs that was once the Preventers headquarters. Finding it increasingly hard to face the reality of what had just happened, he slowed down from a mad dash to a slow walk as he approached the prone body of one of his old comrades.  
  
Finding his strength, Wufei rushed to Heero's side. After a quick assessment of Heero's condition, he concluded that if taken to a hospital immediately, Heero may still live. Picking up his friend, not bothering to call an ambulance since any available ones were already at the site of the fallen building, Wufei was determined that he would not let his friend die such a pointless death.  
  
Going to pick Heero up, Wufei found him to be much heavier than his appearance allowed. He turned to face the person who had personally witnessed Heero's attempted suicide and asked for his assistance. This was the first time he had taken notice of the man's identity.  
  
With fair skin, large cobalt eyes and a long trailing braid, this could only be one person. It was Duo Maxwell, back from beyond the grave.  
  
"Stupid idiot. After looking for so many days, I find him holding a gun up to his head ready to blow his brains out." Duo grumbled coolly, but underneath the calm mask, Wufei could see that his heart was breaking.  
  
Each taking one of Heero's arms, the two quickly took him to one of the awaiting ambulances at the rescue site. The transport to the hospital was fast and swift and before long, Wufei and Duo found themselves in the waiting room fidgeting nervously while waiting for any news on Heero's condition.  
  
Time passed by painfully slow. Wufei tried to calm himself with some meditation techniques, but it seemed as if his chi had decided to take a vacation and left him with no relief from the anxiety that all the waiting had filled him with.  
  
Unable to take any more of the awkward silence that hung in the room, Wufei asked Duo about the accident.  
  
"What happened to you after the building collapsed?" Wufei asked unsure of the answer that he would receive. He didn't understand how Heero could have suffered such horrible injuries and yet, Duo had barely a scratch on him.  
  
Duo looked at Wufei carefully and saw the confusion in his eyes. "Heero and I were together while everything was happening, but when the floor that we were on gave way, the falling debris separated us and I was thrown into a tree by the forces generated from the collapse. Being so much heavier than me, Heero probably dropped like a rock and got trapped in the rubble. As soon as I got out of the tree, I began to search for Heero, until earlier today when I finally found him. Of course, he had a gun and was about to pull the trigger. Just my luck, eh?"  
  
This was when the doctor walked in. The look on his face was grim, but not hopeless. Perhaps the news that he brought was a bit more positive.  
  
Sitting down across from Duo and Wufei, he began his report on Heero's condition. "There's no permanent physical damage to your friend, the shot that he fired was a blank. He collapsed mostly from the mental exertion and emotion strain that built up from the activities of the last few days. His body just couldn't put up with the pressure any more. He didn't eat, he barely drank any water. It takes a lot of energy to be a human vegetable, you know?" the doctor tried to joke, but was met with two stony glares, so he tried another approach. "You can go see him now. His condition's still critical, but he's stable."  
  
Upon reaching the room, Wufei realized that Duo and Heero might want some time to themselves, so he insisted that Duo go first as he waited outside.  
  
Finding no reason to argue, Duo headed inside where his love awaited him. They were together once again.  
  
TBC... 


	8. Thirteenth Floor (Epilogue)

By: Amy the Yu  
  
On: December 1, 2001  
  
Thirteenth Floor  
  
(Epilogue)  
  
Disclaimer: See prologue of Thirteenth Floor.  
  
Warning: Shounen ai 1x2x1, sap and not a death fic.  
  
Here's the Epilogue of Thirteenth Floor:  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
It was so warm, so peaceful as Heero lay in the hospital, oblivious to everything around him. So many days had passed during which he had not rested at all. Though he was exhausted from the chaos of previous few days, the last time that he had slept, without demons haunting his dreams, was while he was still trapped amongst the collapsed walls of the Preventers building.  
  
'This must be Heaven. I can almost feel Duo's presence.' Heero thought happily not knowing that the real Duo was right beside his hospital bed.  
  
"Heero? Heero, can you hear me?" a soft calming voice whispered to him.  
  
'I can hear Duo, too, but why can't I see him? He should be right here with me. If this really is Heaven, he should be with me.' Heero's thoughts began to panic as he frantically tried to open his eyes so he could find his lover. 'Duo, where are you? Come back to me, I love you. Please, come back to me!'  
  
Even as Heero's mind grew increasingly alarmed, his outward appearance was calm and relaxed.  
  
However, as Duo looked on, Heero's brows creased a little bit and then a little more. Before long, Heero's physical body reflected his inner turmoil as he thrashed around, trapped within his own mind unable to wake himself up.  
  
Grabbing Heero by his shoulders, Duo gave him one hard shake and with a gasp, Heero woke up.  
  
Not realizing where he was and who held him, Heero's mind automatically relapsed back to his soldier's training and within seconds, even though still shaken and unsure of his surroundings, he had restrained Duo by pinning him to the floor.  
  
Heero's vision slowly returning to him and he found himself staring into the Cobalt eyes of Duo Maxwell, who was very much alive.  
  
Unable to believe it, Heero rubble his eyes harshly with the back of his hand and looked upon the face that had haunted him day and night for the past several days. It was Duo and this time, Heero was sure that he was awake. The pain in his still healing chest was proof of his conscious state.  
  
Slowly, Heero stood up and did nothing but stare as Duo scolded him for getting out of bed and risking a cold.  
  
Finding that he was able to move again after the initial shock, Heero leapt forward and knocked his lover right onto the bed. Then in between covering Duo in kisses, Heero babbled on about everything that he had been through since the building's collapse.  
  
"...I can't even count how many hours I spent in that dingy hole holding the body. It's hair was so soft. I was sure it was you. I was so depressed when I thought that you had die-" Heero was suddenly stopped when Duo interrupted him.  
  
"You thought that I was a corpse. How could you not tell that it was me?" Duo inquired in his own defense when he realized that Heero had mistaken a corpse for himself.  
  
"Well, you always seemed so fragile and I thought that such a fall would have destroyed you body." Heero stumbled to find a cover up for his embarrassing mistake. It had torn him up inside when he had found the body thinking that it was Duo. "I was in shock and severely injured, it wasn't completely my fault. I couldn't think straight."  
  
Faking a pout, Duo decided to poke fun at Heero for just a little longer, since it was just too much fun seeing Heero all worked up and babbling like an idiot. "Fine. Even if I let you off that one, what about the body I saw you holding right before you tried to shoot yourself? It was light out, so you can't say that you couldn't see it's face and you weren't in pain anymore since your injuries healed."  
  
Looking like a deer caught in the headlights, Heero once again started babbling. "The face was all scratched up and the hair was about the same length and the eyes. The eyes were the same as yours, not that your eyes look dull and dead. Your eyes look great. You always look great. I'm sure that you'd still look great even if you were dead, but you're not dead and that's what matters. I'm so happy to see you." Heero said all in one breath, sounding more like Duo than himself.  
  
Finally, feeling that he should stop the teasing, Duo hushed Heero and kissed him lovingly. It had been too long since they last shared a kiss.  
  
The world faded from their minds and all their troubles were forgotten as they both laid on the bed, cuddling as they enjoyed each other's presence. Everything seemed perfect in the lovers' eyes, but Duo felt that the silence had gone on too long.  
  
"Why were you going to kill yourself?" Duo couldn't help but ask. The question had been on him mind ever since he found Heero holding the gun up to his temple.  
  
Knowing that Duo would do the same for him, Heero took a deep breath and tried to put his feelings into words. "I love you. I just couldn't live without you. I was brought up as a soldier trained to fight in the war. When the war ended, I was lost. Neither Dr. J nor I have ever considered the possibility of me outliving the war so I was never taught how to survive outside the battlefield. You changed all that for me and by teaching me how to live, you became my reason for living."  
  
Duo listened wholeheartedly. He loved Heero immensely and everything he heard, he knew was true. He felt the same way.  
  
The only family he had left died in the Maxwell Church Massacre and aside from Heero, Duo did not have another reason to live for. Heero was all he had left. Everyone else that he loved had left him to fend for himself in this world.  
  
Duo had fought in the war to avenge the deaths of Father Maxwell and Sister Helen, but once the war ended, he no longer had a mission in life, so he accepted a new one. He was determined to show Heero life beyond the war. He was unbelievably successful. Not only did he give Heero a reason to live; he had given himself one as well.  
  
The bond between them was more than that of comrades. It was more than that of lovers. It was a bond that was unbreakable. Nothing could keep them apart, not society, their friends, not even life and death.  
  
"I love you too, Heero." Duo whispered fighting to keep his tears at bay. "We'll never be separated again, I promise."  
  
"I know." Heero knew that Duo meant what he said because he always kept his word. Making the most of the moment, Heero readily returned the promise, "No matter what happens, I want to be by your side forever. Wherever you go, I'll be with you. Even if you're going to hell, I'll be there with you. You'll never be alone again because I will never leave you."  
  
Owari!  
  
Note: I apologize for any confusion that my sad attempt at a plot caused. I can't write plot for beans. (I guess it's a good thing that I don't like beans...) _  
  
There's a side story sort of thing that I wrote. Did anyone pick up on my mention of Trowa and Quatre here?  
  
That's what "Out of the Sky" is about. If you're fed up with having to deal with my strange sense of plot and angst, then "Out of the Sky" is the 9-11 fic for you. I somehow managed to write a fic about my (very screwed up) take of what happened on the shuttle (the parallel in this fic to the two planes) in this fic. It's a deathfic, but it's FUNNY!!! Yes, that's right. I managed to write a humourous death fic... O_O  
  
"Out of the Sky" won first place in the TMGW contest. I'm very proud of that. ^_^  
  
You don't have to have understood Thirteenth Floor to read this. Actually, you don't even have had to READ Thirteenth Floor to read "Out of the Sky". I wrote it so that it is basically two separate fics with one (unnecessary) paragraph tying the two together.  
  
If you want to read "Out of the Sky", here it is:  
  
http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=664707  
  
I applaud you if you're still reading. I usually don't even read this far into the post-fic notes... ^_^;;; 


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